1,400 new words in our dictionary! — Parasocial, glow-up, promposal & more
1,400 new words in our dictionary! — More

shrills 1 of 2

verb

present tense third-person singular of shrill
as in shrieks
to cry out loudly and emotionally the mud-splattered bystanders were shrilling with outrage at the inconsiderate motorist

Synonyms & Similar Words

Relevance

Antonyms & Near Antonyms

shrills

2 of 2

noun

plural of shrill
as in screams

Related Words

Dissimilar Words

Example Sentences

Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to show current usage. Read More Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.
Recent Examples of shrills
Verb
The shrieks and shrills filled the room. — Liz O'Connell, MSNBC Newsweek, 15 Sep. 2025
Recent Examples of Synonyms for shrills
  1. shrieks
  2. screams
  3. squeals
Verb
  • Back in the car, Albert moans and groans while Billie shrieks in panic.
    — Jordan Hoffman, Entertainment Weekly, 23 Feb. 2026
Definition of shrieks
Noun
  • A number of Toluca Lake residents sent a media alert and hosted reporters in their neighborhood on Wednesday’s opening day to showcase just how disruptive the screams could be.
    — Todd Martens, Los Angeles Times, 16 Sep. 2026
  • Ever since Universal began testing the ride in June, Disney has been subjected to a cacophony of blood-curdling screams from his home.
    — Lynette Rice, Deadline, 16 Sep. 2026
Definition of screams
Verb
  • Soto’s Marie pouts and squeals with abandon.
    — Theater Critic, Los Angeles Times, 13 May 2026
  • At bars across the United States, live watch parties were packed, squeals resounding.
    — Faith Hill, The Atlantic, 13 Jan. 2026
Definition of squeals

Browse Nearby Words

shrillness
shrills
shrimp
See all Nearby Words

Cite this Entry

“Shrills.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/shrills. Accessed 29 Sep. 2026.

Copy Citation
Last Updated: - Updated example sentences
Love words? Need even more definitions?

Subscribe to America's largest dictionary and get thousands more definitions and advanced search—ad free!

More from Merriam-Webster

Word of the Day

Listen to the pronunciation of argot

See Definitions and Examples »

Popular in Grammar & Usage

See More

Do You Need a New Language Peeve?

More Commonly Mispronounced Words

Merriam-Webster’s Great Big List of Words You Love to Hate

'A' or 'an'? What about before 'h'? An Indefinite Article Guide

Why is '-ed' sometimes pronounced at the end of a word?
See More

Popular in Wordplay

See More

7 Great Ways to Say 'Great'

The Longest Long Words List

9 Words That Sound Like Insults But Aren't

12 Lovely and Unusual Words for the Natural World

Why do we 'bury the lede?'
See More

Popular

See More

Do You Need a New Language Peeve?

7 Great Ways to Say 'Great'

The Longest Long Words List
See More

Games & Quizzes

See All
Play Quordle: Guess all four words in a limited number of tries. Each of your guesses must be a real 5-letter word.
Quordle Can you solve 4 words at once?
Play Blossom: Solve today's spelling word game by finding as many words as you can using just 7 letters. Longer words score more points.
Blossom Pick the best words!
Play Missing Letter: a crossword with a twist. Each of the 25 puzzle words start with a different letter of the alphabet. Which letter is missing?
The Missing Letter A daily crossword with a twist
image of the words cracker fly and sale arranged in a triangle with the word fire in the middle
Triple Play Quiz Find the word that pairs with each of the three g...
See All